1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to damping mechanisms, particularly damping mechanisms deployed between a stationary structure such as a wall of a building and a structure such as a section of piping the vibrations of which are to be damped relative to the stationary structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vibration damping mechanisms for protecting piping in a power plant or chemical plant from vibration are known in the art. In such situations, it is necessary for the vibration damping mechanism to follow both gradual movement of the piping which can be caused by thermal deformation or the like and to also effectively damp rapid vibrations caused by earthquakes or other externally applied forces. While prior devices have utilized a pair of housings mounted relative to each other by means of a ball screw mechanism, these prior dampers prove ineffective with external vibrations with the damper structure at the natural frequency of said structure, the vibration damping function being considerably reduced. The present structure eliminates this prior art defect by providing a plurality of friction pins in contact with internal surfaces of the primary housing of the damper, the frictional resistance of the pins damping such resonant vibrations so as to maintain the damping capability of the present structure at all vibrational frequencies.